The Dodo Archive

Double Tragedy At Australia’s Largest Derby

The annual Melbourne Cup, Australia's largest thoroughbred race, was marked by two tragedies on Tuesday. Immediately after crossing the finish line, a favorite named Admire Rakti died in his stall. Shortly after, another horse named Araldo was euthanised due to injuries sustained when he was spooked by a flag-waving patron. The horses had placed last and seventh, respectively.

Warning: Disturbing images below

These aren't the first casualties of the Cup. Before Tuesday, three horses had suffered fatal injuries in the 35 years since the event began. Just last year, a horse named Venema had to be euthanized after breaking a leg during the race.

Representatives of the organizers, Racing Victoria, called the incidents "freak accidents" and said that the horses received adequate veterinary care.

"I don't want to use up any luck by wagering money on Admire Rakti," he told Fairfax Media. "We just want to wait and win the Melbourne Cup."

The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses points out that while this incident is tragic, it's just one in a long list of others. It wrote in a Facebook post:

Today was a tragic day in Australian racing - but it was also representative of regular occurrences on the racetrack. A recent study by CPR found that 125 horses died on Australian racetracks over a 12 month period - thousands more are also sent to the knackery when no longer profitable. Today added two more casualties to those statistics. Until the racing industry can take action and implement welfare reform for horses - they will continue to die.

Animal advocates around the world have been calling for reforms in the racehorse industry for years. In the U.S., startling accidents and revelations in recent years have brought a dark cloud over the sport. In 2002, news broke that the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand, was apparently killed in a Japanese slaughterhouse. In 2008, a horse named Eight Belles broke both front legs while running in the Kentucky Derby. She was euthanized in front of the crowd and millions watching on TV. In March 2012, a feature by The New York Times revealed rampant cruelty at one of the country's premier horse training facilities. The piece was followed by a 2014 investigation by PETA that did the same. The investigation, below, served as a wake-up call for many supporters of horse racing: